Mail-delivery system.



No. 875,864. PATENTED JAN. 7. 1908.

- 'J.F.STOUT.

MAIL DELIVERY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION TILED JUNE 27.1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

3 vwentoz fZQMW/W/ I awe-(marl No,875,864. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908. J. F.STOUT.

MAIL DELIVERY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27.1907.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

awuemtoz "IV-v 110mm PATENTED JAN. '7, 1908.

J. P. STOUT.

MAIL DELIVERY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27.1907.

3 SHEETS-BHEET 3.

1 finances elf/revues 15 whe ls 14 of the car 1 JOHN F. STOUT, OF CLAMAIL-DELIVERY SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Y'lON, INDIANA.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed Jiur;2'7.1907- Scrial No. 381.123-

To all whom "it may comm-n:

Be itknown that I,Jou.\' F. S'rou'r, a citizen of the United States,residing at( layton, in the county of Hendricks, State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful improvements in Mail.l)elivery Systems;and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdcscriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the.art to which it appertains to make and use the same, v

The present invention has reference to improvements in mail deliverysystems, and it aims to provide an exceedingly ellic-ient apparatus ofthat nature, designed for operation in rural (listircts, and comprisingan elevated track and an electrically-propelled car adapted to travelthereon, the car including a vertically movable front section operableby the occupant of the car when the latter approaches a mail-box, topermit him to deposit mail therein or collect mail therefrom withoutrendering it necessary to dismount from the car.

To this end the invention consists in the particular details ofconstruction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts all ashereinafter fully described, specifically claimed, and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated bycorresponding reference numerals through out'the several views.

()f the said drawings, Figure l is a front ,elcvatiun of the invention,with the movable section in its normal or raised position, Fig. :2

is an enlargcil vertical section through the car, with the sectionlowered, Fig. I is an end view of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a top plan view ofthe carrier of the car, Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragnlental section of oneof the wheels of the car carrier.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 7 designates thesupporting posts which are disposed in pairs upon opposite sides of theroad and are connected together at their upper ends by the brace rods,as shown, each of the posts of one series having a laterally-projectingbracket 8 secured thereto and provided at its outer end with a dependinghunger U, which hangers carry the clectricaily charged trolley wire 10.Beneath each of said brackets and paralleltherewith, is a second bracket11 carrying at its-outer end an upstanding arm 12, said arms serving assupports for tlietrack 13 upon which the 5 travel. This track isprcfm'ahly in the nature of a cable which is stretcl'ied taut by anydesired means, while the wheels which run thereon are carried by shaftsl6 journaled 1n the upper ends of front and rear uprights 17 mountedupon the roof of the cigar shaped car and retained in position by bracerods, as shown. The shafts and uprights above referred to, further serveto support an open frame 18 upon which the motor I!) is mounted, whichmotor is provided with a trolley pole 20 of the usual type, the trolleywheel traveling along the under fare of the wire 10. The shaft 21 of them0- tor carries a sprocket 22 which is connected by a chain 23 with asimilar sprocket 24 on the shaft of the forward wheel 14. The n10- toris connected in any preferred manner with a controller 25 which islocated within t :c car.

formed by a pair of op :ositely-disposed U- shaped rods fastenedtogether centrallyzby cross braces and having their ends provided withopenings registering with those formed in the corresponding uprights 17for the reception of the wheel shafts 16'. The ends of said rods may, inaddition, be bolted or otherwise fastened to the uprights.

The car 1:") includes a telescoping section 2o which is disposed at theforward end thereof and is raised or lowered through an opening in thecar lloor by the occupant thereof, by means of a block and tackleconnection 27 between the roof of the car and the floor of said section,the tackle being provided with a catch 28 of any description adapted tobe engaged when the section is in its.ruised position, with a book 29set into the floor of the section. The desk, and the pigeon-holes forthe letters are likewise disposed within the movable section of the carwhose forward end is provided with windows 30 alining directly withsimilar windows 31 with which the front end of the car proper is)I'U\"l(l(.(l. Access to the movable section is bad through a door 32formed in one of the side walls thereof.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the car is stoed upon reaching a mail-box, the movabli section lowered, and the. door32, (which is upon the same side of the car as the mail-box) opencd,whereupon the postman, who is usually the operator of the car, canremove mail from or deposit it in the mail-box without rendering itnecessary for him to dismount from the can The rnovable section is thenraised and l the car again started,

movable section In order to preventthe wheels of thecarr cerr frame 18from slipping from thetracr, each wheel shown in Fig. 5, and in thebottom of-each groove is fitted a continuons strip or tread33 of rubberor other anti-slipping material.

The rear compartmentB; of the car serves as a receptacle for suchpackages as are too large to be inserted in the pigeon-holes in thewith-atelescoplngsection adapted to be raised or lowered by the occupantof thecar whenthe latter approaches a mail-box, to deposit mail into orremove mail from the same. a

3. The combination, in a mail delivery systern, of an elevated track,and a caradapted to travel thereupon, the car being provided with avertically rnovable front section operable by the occupant of the carwhen the lat-' ter approaches a mail-box, to deposit mail intoor'rernove mail from the same. 4. Thecombination, ina maildeliverysystern, oteri elevated track, and a car adapted to travelthereupon, the car being provided with a vertically-niovab1efrom sectionoperable by the occupant of seidsection, w ion the carepproachesamall-box, to deposit tem, is grooved or flanged, as 1 ground, the cor 0mail into or remove mail from the same,'said secti on being providedwith a door,

5 55 The com ination,*in a mail delivery sysof an elevated track, a caradaptedto travel thereu on, and suspended'above the ground, the 001' ofthe car having-an opening formed therein, a section disposed Within thecar when the latter is in motion, ,and rneai'is o erable by the occupantof, said sectionlfor owering been stopped adjacent a mail-box, to permitmail to be deposited in or removed from the mail-box.

61 The combination, in a mail delivery systern, of an elevated track, acar adapted to travel thereu on,

f the car having an opening formed therein, a section disposed withinthe car when the latter is in motion, and a the same when the car hasandsuspended above the V 01 block and tackle connection betliveen theroof of the car and the floofr of saidsection and operable by {)0 edepositedinjjr' removed from the mail- 7. The combination, ina maildelivery sys tem, of an elevated track and a car adapted to travelthereupon, the car being prov ded with aninclosed telescoping sectionadapted to beraise'd or lowered by the occupant of the car whenthelatter approaches a mailbox, to deposit mail intoor remove mail from thesame.

the occupant of the latter, for lowering said section when the car hasbeen.

sto pe'd adjacent a mail-box, to permit mail: 65

; In testimony whereof, I afiix signa-f I ture, presence of twowitnesses. t JOHN F. STOUT.

itnessesz i Roar. 'BAYL'Iss.

